Guidance

Jordan: information for survivors of rape and sexual assault

Updated 30 May 2022

If you’ve been sexually assaulted it’s important to remember that it was not your fault. Rape and sexual assault is always wrong – no matter who commits it or where it happens. It is traumatic and it can affect you both physically and emotionally. Do not be afraid to get help.

First steps

The most important thing is to make sure that you are as safe as you can be. If you contact us, we will listen to you, support you and provide you with as much information as possible to help you decide what to do.

It is your choice about what you do next, but the following information may help you reach a decision. It offers practical advice and information specific to local customs, processes and procedures.

You can contact:

• the emergency number on 911 to speak to the police or ask for an ambulance. English speaking operators should be available. Alternatively, you can report the incident to the Family Protection Department (+962-65815738), the specialist department that handles cases of rape and sexual assault.
• your tour operator, if you are travelling with one
• the British Embassy on (+962) (0) 6 5909200. Staff are available 24/7 and are polite, patient, sensitive and non-judgmental

Speak to an experienced support worker:

• speak in confidence to an experienced support worker via the Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Live Online Support

What the Embassy can do

If you decide to contact the Embassy, we will:

Immediately – Listen without judging, provide details of where you can get medical treatment, and accompany you to the police or medical centre if practically possible.

Over the first few days – Help you to contact friends or family, provide details of support agencies, and explain the reporting process.

In the longer term – Support you through the process should you decide to report to the police and signpost you to organisations in the UK who can help you on your return home.

Seeking medical assistance

Most hospitals and medical centres in Jordan have facilities for helping victims of sexual assault. Following disclosure of an assault, a physician will ordinarily carry out an examination with an additional forensic examination completed by a certified forensic doctor (usually appointed by the police). Medical practitioners are obliged under Jordanian law to report the incident to the police and share results of medical examinations if requested.

The forensic examination will usually involve an internal examination to obtain evidence of any sexual act and a full external examination to obtain evidence of any force and/or violence. It may also be necessary to undertake swabs, DNA and STI testing.

The timescales for obtaining forensic evidence vary depending on the type of assault. For mouth or digital penetration the forensic time scale is usually two days, for anal penetration three days is usually the maximum and for vaginal penetration, the time scale is up to seven days. However the sooner an examination is carried out, the stronger the forensic evidence will be.

If you are concerned that you may have been exposed to sexually transmitted infection (STI) then you should consider attending a hospital. There is a range of post-exposure treatments available. If there is a risk you have been exposed to the HIV virus, you should go to a hospital urgently to obtain “Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)” - a treatment that may stop HIV replicating in the body and so prevent the virus from attacking the immune system (Treatment Post Exposition - TPE). This can be prescribed at any local hospital. More information on risks is available on the NHS website.

HIV PEP medication needs to be taken within 72 hours for it to be effective. The NHS may be able to commence or continue the 28-day treatment on return to the UK.

Emergency contraception can also be prescribed. You may need to pay for any prescriptions but should be able to claim costs back from your travel insurer.

If medication is prescribed, you may wish to keep a copy of the label or make a note of the name of the medication so that you can let your local health provider know.

The embassy can provide you with a list of medical facilities in Jordan.

Reporting the assault to the police

Should you wish the assault to be investigated, you will need to report it to the Jordanian Police. A Consular Officer may be able to attend the police station (and hospital) with you, depending on the location and timing. Again, if you have a tour operator, they may be able to arrange for someone to support you or you may prefer to be accompanied by a friend or relative. If you are a tourist you may be directed initially to the Tourism Police who will direct you to the nearest Family Protection Department.

If you approach the police directly yourself, you may wish to ask them to inform the British Embassy if you have not already done so. This will enable the embassy to provide support.

If you decide to report the crime, try to do so as soon as possible so that forensic evidence can be retained. Try to avoid washing yourself or your clothes as it may make it more difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence. If you change your clothes, consider taking the clothing you were wearing at the time of the offence to the police.

You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as clothes, toothbrushes, text messages, social media communication or any other evidence that might assist in the investigation process. Tell the police if you think you have been drugged and always ask for a copy of the police report.

Reporting the crime in Jordan: what happens next?

The police will ask you whether you wish to file a complaint before the Public Prosecutor or Attorney General. In Jordan, the Public Prosecutor or Attorney General investigates the crime. This differs to the UK where this would be the role of the police. The police will act on the Public Prosecutor or Attorney General’s instructions.

The police will ask you to make a statement and to provide any information that might be helpful in the investigation process, including but not limited to, a description of the attacker(s). The police will ordinarily ask a forensic examiner to attend to the police station and, upon instruction from the Public Prosecutor or Attorney

General, retain any item or items that may be used as evidence.

Throughout the investigation stage you can request to talk to an officer of a particular gender if this would make you feel more comfortable. The police will try to support such requests but cannot guarantee a gender specific officer will be available. There may be English-speaking officers, but if not, you can request a court appointed/official to assist you with communication.

If a suspect is detained or arrested, you may be asked to make a formal identification. Once a case has been filed, you will not need to remain in Jordan. If charged, the suspect will be taken to court and the Public Prosecutor or Attorney General will decide how to proceed after a preliminary investigation. The Public Prosecutor may request to speak to you in person to take your testimony.

Police investigations in Jordan: what to expect

Once a suspect has been arrested, they will be interrogated within 24 to 48 hours.

The Public Prosecutor or the Attorney General shall decide, based on the content of the interrogation and other evidence, whether:

(i) to keep the suspect arrested in which case the suspect will be transferred to the criminal court once the investigation has been finalized or

(ii) to release the suspect (with proof of residence) while keeping the file open for further investigation (possible re-interrogation), or

(iii) to dismiss the case in which case the suspect will be released.

You will likely be asked to make a statement in front of the Public Prosecutor or the Attorney General. This is in addition to any statement already taken by the police.

Court procedures: what to expect

If there is a trial, the Court may require your testimony in person. The Jordanian Authorities will not automatically keep you updated about your case so you will need to either request information in person through the Clerk of the Court or enlist the help of a lawyer to represent you. You can find a list of lawyers based in Jordan that are able to provide services in English. Access to legal aid is limited in Jordan.

It will be essential that you appoint a lawyer if the case is transferred to the Magistrates Court (usually cases with a custodial sentence of less than three years) or you wish to claim for compensation. Otherwise, the case will be handled in the criminal court. If attending in person you will ordinarily be asked to offer testimony during the first or second session of the trial. After doing so you will ordinarily be allowed to leave the country unless there are separate legal reasons preventing you from doing so.

If you decide not to proceed with the case once reported, the Public Prosecutor and/or Court may continue the case in your absence under the general rights act. In such circumstances, you will not be kept informed of progress.

The Court can order the offender to pay compensation, either after they have been convicted in a criminal court or as a result of civil action if requested by a lawyer. There currently is no state-funded compensation scheme in Jordan. However, victims could always ask the court to order compensation from the defendant equal to the physical and psychological damage suffered.

There is no time set by law for cases to come to trial. Trials for similar offences have lasted years. The defendant is entitled to press counter charges if advised by their legal representative. There have been cases in the past where defendants have placed counter claims suggesting that the accusations made against them are false.

Choosing not to report the incident

If you choose not to report the offence, the Embassy can still help you. This includes helping you to contact your insurance company or family so they can provide support, helping with arrangements for travel back to the UK or elsewhere and/or providing you with information on further support, either in Jordan or the UK. We can provide you with lists of English-speaking medical facilities, lawyers and translators or use our local knowledge and contacts to answer other questions you may have.

If you are travelling with a tour operator, you can still report the incident to them and ask them for assistance.

Reporting the incident to the UK police

If you decide not to report the crime in Jordan, you can still do so on return to the UK. If both parties involved are British nationals then under certain circumstances the police in the UK can investigate, charge and try the perpetrator in the United Kingdom despite the offence occurring in Jordan.

If the perpetrator is not a British national the police can still investigate, but the likelihood of prosecution is further limited as except in very limited circumstances the UK police are unlikely to have jurisdiction to investigate a crime committed overseas by a foreign national. Please see Rape and Sexual Assault: Returning to the UK for more information.

On return to the UK

You may want to inform your GP or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre know what has happened to you so that you can talk about the experience and seek further support and advice if required.

If you believe you may be at risk of having contracted an STI, you should ask your local health provider to test you, even if you have been tested in the country that the incident took place in.

The Jordanian police will not inform the UK police of the crime.

Support in Jordan

Jordanian Women’s Union

The Jordanian Women’s Union (JWU), headquartered in Amman, is a non-governmental, democratically elected organization that is committed to improving the status of women. The JWU’s vision is to achieve equal rights, within all sectors of society, for women and all marginalised groups.

Street Address: Jabal Al Hussein – Safad Street, Amman

Phone Number: +962 (6) 568 7037

E-mail: jwu@go.com.jo

Hotline Number: +962(6)5675729

Support in the UK

Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre

Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre is a support service for women and girls aged 13 and over who have been raped, sexually assaulted or sexually abused at some point in their lifetime. Live Online Support is an online service that gives British survivors of sexual violence access to UK-based real time support from anywhere in the world, via Skype, FaceTime, Instant Messenger and email.

More information including the times Live Online support is available is on their website.

Disclaimer

This information is provided by the British Government for the convenience of enquirers, but neither His Majesty’s Government nor any official of the Consulate take any responsibility for the accuracy of the information, nor accept liability for any loss, costs, damage or expense which you might suffer as a result of relying on the information supplied. It is not a substitute for obtaining your own legal advice.